Have you ever had a date that, because of an event, you will never forget?
July 26, 2005 is that date for me. I am a 53 year old mother and grandmother. I have one daughter, Julie, one grandson, Noah, and one granddaughter, Lily. This is a story about Lily.July 26, 2005 started out like any other summer day. I remember it being bright, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and hot, which is usual for late July in the south. As I traveled to work, listening to old rock and roll on the radio (and yes, I do like to sing along), I got
a call that would change my life forever. The woman identified herself as being affiliated with a local police department and asked if I knew Julie. Now, I love Julie and I couldn't ask for a better daughter and friend, but she doesn't always do the right thing. So when I get a call from the police, I am rather hesitant to acknowledge our acquaintance.
What has she done now? is all that was running through my head, and then she explained.
Julie had been in an automobile accident and was severely injured. It was a head-on collision. She was alert and coherent but trapped in the car. Julie was 7 ½ months pregnant. It would take paramedics and firemen two hours to cut her out of the car while she listened to the heart-rendering screams of the young man who had hit her.
I'll call him Jake.
Jake had been to Memphis to visit a friend the day before and somehow, I'm not really sure of all the events, things had gone wrong.m Instead of staying in Memphis and getting some rest, he decided to drive all night and return home. Exhausted from the drive, as the sun came up and shone brightly in his eyes, Jake began falling asleep.
We were told by witnesses that he was driving at a high rate of speed, passing cars on the shoulder of the already narrow two-lane highway that is heavily congested at that time of the morning by school buses and people commuting to work. As he rounded a curve, asleep at the wheel, he met Julie head-on. The State Police estimated the frontal impact of the two compact vehicles at 110 mph. He was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown into the steering wheel and windshield. His injuries were severe. Jake's life was touch-and-go for the next several days, and at one point he had to be resuscitated. This information was obtained from the police and from his mother when my husband and I went to visit him in the hospital. We were unable to see him, but left a note for his parents and his mother returned my call. We have never met Jake and he has yet to try to contact us to inquire about Julie and Lily.
The impact of the collision collapsed the floorboard of the car onto Julie's right foot and legs, crushing her right foot and breaking both legs, her knee cap, and causing multiple compound fractures. As she arrived at the hospital, her father and husband met the ambulance outside not knowing what to expect. I could not bring myself to go out there. I was so afraid of what I would see. Because she was wearing her seatbelt, her upper body was mostly spared from injury, except for burns and bruising from the airbag. For that we are very thankful, but the trauma put the baby in distress and, in order to save both their lives, an emergency C-Section was preformed. It took another 6 hours of surgery to put her foot and legs back together. She awoke not knowing if the baby survived. It would be two months before she could see or hold her baby.
Lily was delivered in good health and med-flighted to a nearby Children's Hospital. Weighing only 2 lbs and 15 oz, she was very fragile. Two days after she was born she suffered grade four brain bleeds leaving her with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy.
She has a shunt to keep the fluid drained off her brain. Infections and shunt revisions are a common occurrence and are extremely dangerous. We have been fortunate, so far she has only had one. The Cerebral Palsy is severe. At age 3, she still cannot hold her head up, walk, talk or even eat. She is tube fed and weighs only 23 pounds.
Through all this, Lily is happy and loving and we have developed ways to communicate.
She receives physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy at the rehab school she attends and is adored by all who know her. Being her grandmother is a joy and I want only the best for her. My husband and I have researched several new procedures that are being performed with success at various facilities around the country. One of these is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Improvement in speech, swallowing, vision, and recognition, all of which Lily struggles with, are just a few of the successes being reported. Wanting a better quality of life for our granddaughter, we are seeking this procedure. It is very costly and insurance will not pay. We are trying to raise the money for her treatments and living expenses and this is where you can help. If you are interested in donating to this cause, you may do so by mail to Centennial Bank, C/O Lillian McBee, P.O. Box 966, Conway, AR 72033. All money received will go toward her treatments and our room and board. Any money remaining will be used to help another child in need.
